Inspiration for Faith, Family and Frugal Living

5 P’s of Biblical Mentoring

A season of challenging experiences had brought me to my knees. At the speaker’s invitation I went forward and bowed my head in prayer. In a matter of seconds, I felt the embrace of a single arm around my back. Tears crept down my face. I leaned into the Lord and remained still. When her praying ceased, I lifted my head and found a former student. Just eight years before, her tiny body had filled a seat in my classroom where I had poured into her soul; now she was pouring back into mine. Standing to my feet, I embraced her with a hug and heard God speak gently to my heart, “the investment has come full-circle.”

Investing in another believer means helping them reach their full potential in Christ while providing wisdom and instruction for them to grow as a disciple.

My former student had found her place in God’s kingdom as an intercessor for others. This wasn’t a surprise to me, but what I hadn’t foresaw was the day she would invest in me.

God’s Word tells of multiple women and men whose intentional investment led to another believer achieving their full potential for God.

Naomi invested in Ruth following the death of their husbands.

Moses mentored Joshua before he rose to leader over Israel.

Paul poured into Timothy, often referring to Timothy as his son.

These examples remind us of our discussion last week when we talked about God’s command for older women to train younger women. (Titus 2:3-5)

As you and I step out to invest in others here are five ways we can make our time more meaningful and focused on God.

Pray – Prayer is the key that unlocks all potential in your mentee and in your mentoring relationship. James 5:18 says, “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (KJV)

Be Present – We can give our mentee encouragement through a text or a comment on Facebook, but what will always mean the most is our presence. Physical presence is matchless.

Proclaim God’s Faithfulness – Psalm 71:18 says, “…let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.” God has done great things for each of us. Being a mentor provides the opportunity to tell someone else about His mighty acts.

Plant God’s Word – God’s Word changes lives. It breaks strongholds and it’s filled with wisdom and instruction. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

Permit your mentee to be open and honest with you, and always foster a safe environment with mutual respect and trust.

Perhaps you agree with the concept of investing in another person (or mentoring), but you feel uneasy when you think about yourself doing it. May I be honest with you? I feel the same way. But here’s what I know: uneasy does not equal unqualified. Uneasy just means we must lean into God a little more and trust He will lead our paths as we make ourselves available.

Next week we will take a look at five conversation starters mentors can use to engage in meaningful conversation with their mentees.

If you have not subscribed to Raising an Arrow, I hope you will. This is your chance to have biblical inspiration for your faith, family and frugal living delivered straight to your inbox. You can start your free subscription now by entering your email address in the white box at the top of this page. (Mobile readers will need to scroll down the page) Have a Blessed Week!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related

Post navigation

41 thoughts on “5 P’s of Biblical Mentoring”

Great post! I’m not mentoring anyone right now, but my boyfriend and I have talked a lot about mentoring young couples once we get married. We had some people mentor us when we first started out in our relationship and it was MUCH needed. The relationship between mentors and mentees is such a vulnerable, but joy-filled relationship!

LOVE this post, Leigh Ellen! Raising up leaders and encouraging them is one of my favorite parts of ministry. These are such practical and simple steps to help do that. Blessed to be your neighbor at Open Mic Monday.

I find that prayer helps me be gentle and meet that person where they are instead of chastising them for not being where I am. I am new to leading a small group ministry and have a lot to learn about how to gently encourage without watering down the truth.

Jennifer, I am praying for you and your group to experience Jesus and His love in greater depths through your time together. May His Word penetrate all you do! Thank you for visiting today. Blessings to you!

This is a great post. What a joy for you to see how God is using your former student and how she helped you! These words are so true: “But here’s what I know: uneasy does not equal unqualified. ” God can use us even when we are uneasy if we yield to His leading. He will give us the grace we need to to what we are called to do. Blessings to you! I’m your neighbor at #IntentionalTuesday.

The word mentoring can be scary; when you’re sitting down sharing with someone it’s amazing how God works in and through you. God is good! We all need to mentor and be mentored. I’m thankful for each person who has taken time to invest in me. Thank you for this encouraging post on sharing with others. 🙂 Have a blessed day!

Leigh, I love these 5 P’s! I’ve had many invest in me and I’m extremely grateful for the way that God used them in my life. I pray to be able to give back and help other women on the journey.
Thanks for sharing this!
Visiting from #RaRaLinkup

I love your story and that of your mentee. How beautiful. That’s the hands and feet of Jesus coming full circle. Thank you for laying out these steps to help with mentoring. These are brilliant to work with. I appreciate this post on Open Mic Monday for the soul at Cisneros Cafe. Have a blessed week, Leigh Ellen! <3

Wow! God is so Good! Honored to be your neighbor at Holley’s today! I’ve been reading another book this week calling me to think about discipling/mentoring and your words are God breathed… And I love this: uneasy does not equal unqualified. Thanks Leigh Ellen ♥

Being present – such a necessary reminder. I can often get so caught up in what comes next that I forget to savor the moment – to truly invest in the person right in front of me. Thanks for that reminder and such wise words. So excited to be your neighbor at #threewordwednesday. Hugs, friend.

Hi dear friend! I am guilty of that, too! There are times I have to tell myself to focus on the moment – the person in front of me and forget about the next thing on my to do list. Thank you for stopping by today. Much love to you!

This is such a great post! And the P I don’t see is perfect. Because we don’t have to be perfect to invest in others. In fact our imperfections are great mentoring tools and examples. I’m excited about your 5 conversation starters! Blessings, liz

Liz, you are so right! I think perfection has the potential to scare people away sometimes. Some of the greatest lessons I’ve learned from others came from the lives of those who were able to humbly admit their flaws and seek correction through God. God truly does honor humility. Thank you for stopping by! Your words made me smile!

Great advice! I am leading a year long discipleship class and I would add “Purposeful Listening to your list of “P’s” We need to actively listen and really hear one another in order to share the truth in love at the appropriate time. I love your heart for serving!

Hi Leigh Ellen – I’m reading your blog post because of the link that you left at Faith Barrista – and I’m so glad that I did. I love the body of Christ caring for each other and investing in each other. The time invested in someone else is always well worth it. God bless you in all your relationships with others and especially in your relationship with Him. May God continue to pour the blessings of his love into you so that they can be poured out to others.